Director / DP / Editor
Presented by USARA.
Racing the Storm was originally produced as my senior thesis project. Following its completion, I worked closely with USARA to acquire sponsorship for a campaigned film release including trailers, posters, and other media. The release of the film will achieve shared goals and raise the bar for production value in adventure racing media.
For more, visit USARA.COM/RTS.
Goals:
- Generate hype around signups for the 2026 Nationals
- Add excitement and motivation to the racing off-season
- Provide an inside look at the adventure racing community for those that are curious or want to learn more
- Provide exposure for USARA's YouTube page, where they will host media from the 2026 Nationals
- Add excitement and motivation to the racing off-season
- Provide an inside look at the adventure racing community for those that are curious or want to learn more
- Provide exposure for USARA's YouTube page, where they will host media from the 2026 Nationals
A huge thanks goes out to Team Odyssey Adventure Racing, USARA, Janet Parrott, my family and friends, and the entire Ohio State Moving-Image Production class of 2025.
Film Credits
Director:
Jack Knellinger
Jack Knellinger
Featuring:
Sara Dallman
Eric Olsen
Ronny Angell
Sara Dallman
Eric Olsen
Ronny Angell
AC, Photographer, DIT, Audio:
Wyatt Downey
Wyatt Downey
Wilmington, OH, Interview Crew:
Clay Kessler
Tobias Zuniga-Shaw
Javier Cruz-Ginez
Clay Kessler
Tobias Zuniga-Shaw
Javier Cruz-Ginez
Salem, VA, Interview Crew:
Wyatt Downey
Elle Terrell
Wyatt Downey
Elle Terrell
Editor:
Jack Knellinger
Jack Knellinger
Supplemental Footage (paddling):
Adventure Racing Insider
JS O'Connor
Adventure Racing Insider
JS O'Connor
Event Maps and Team Tracking Data:
Adventure Enablers / Enabled Tracking
Adventure Enablers / Enabled Tracking
Trailer Audio Mixing:
Tre Harris
Tre Harris
Audio Mixing Support:
Adam Rich
Adam Rich
Funding:
Arts Undergraduate Research Scholarship
The Ohio State University
Arts Undergraduate Research Scholarship
The Ohio State University
Equipment:
The Department of Theater, Film, and Media Arts
The Ohio State University
Kinopicz American
Ohio HD
The Department of Theater, Film, and Media Arts
The Ohio State University
Kinopicz American
Ohio HD
Director's Statement:
“Adventure racers often say that you’ll never understand what they do until you do it yourself. I took that as a challenge, setting the goal of giving the audience an experience as close to an actual adventure race as possible. With cameras down on the ground with the athletes to expose the grit and determination it takes to race nonstop for thirty hours in the wilderness, “Racing the Storm” offers a human story of endurance and perseverance that follows a seemingly superhuman team.
By far, our crew’s biggest challenge in documenting the race was dealing with the constant wind and rain brought on by the remnants of Hurricane Helene. The extreme weather conditions forced our crew to sacrifice some tools we often take for granted such as full access to camera controls or a clear view of the images we were capturing, yet it felt fitting for our crew to fight through the same forces of nature as the athletes.”
- Jack Knellinger
